Visions
by noneko
Summary: DCC 17: Bastila confronts Revan on the Rakatan Temple, and a choice is made. But which one?


_Disclaimer: All characters belong to LucasArts and Bioware. Duh._

**Visions**

"You have a choice, Revan. You can join me… or you can die."

Bastila's voice seemed strange. It contained a vicious, cold quality that had never been present in the younger woman's voice before. Her black robes hung off of her frame loosely; she had lost weight in the weeks after they had been separated, and her eyes seemed more haunted then they had previously. More things that Malak would answer for.

"It doesn't have to be like this." she pleaded, reaching her hand out towards Bastila.

Bastila frowned. "Of course it does. There are no other options. Make your choice, Revan. What is it that you desire? What do you want?"

"I don't know."

Bastila glanced at Jolee and Juhani. They remained silent, content to simply watch the scene unfold. Jolee's hand had strayed dangerously close to his lightsaber, belying the blank expression he had arranged on his face. Juhani was wringing her hands nervously, torn between the desire to protect Revan, and the hope that Bastila could still be turned back.

"You don't know?" Bastila's voice took on a mocking tone, and suddenly Revan felt a bit light headed. The sun overhead seemed to dim, casting shadows where there had been none. The Force hummed around Bastila, but Revan couldn't focus well enough to tell what she was doing. Whatever it was, it was breaking her concentration. "Then let me help you make your choice."

Bastila's gaze narrowed, and the scene suddenly shifted. The temple summit melted away around her, replaced with the dark interior of the Ebon Hawk. Revan whirled around, the humming of her lightsaber sounding unnaturally loud in the sudden silence. Her eyes widened in sudden fear and incomprehension.

"Jolee? Juhani?"

There was no answer. They had vanished along with the temple. Revan reached out with the Force, trying to locate their presences. There was no one aboard. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. She sent the Force out again, trying to find the identity of this intruder. Bastila. She turned around slowly, not willing to face the brunette. She refused to look at the younger woman's eyes.

"What did you do, Bastila? Where are Jolee and Juhani?"

Bastila smiled, and Revan shuddered despite herself. That wasn't Bastila's smile. It was warped, and twisted, and undeniably, utterly evil.

"Does it really matter? This doesn't concern them. It never did." She moved forward, and Revan stepped back nervously, almost tripping over the row of seats that sat in the main room.

"This isn't real."

Bastila smiled again. Revan winced.

"Of course it's not. It's just a vision." She moved close again, until their faces were almost touching. "But if you wanted it… it could be real." Her light blue eyes, just barely tinged with gold, stared up into Revan's face purposefully. Then she was gone.

_Mission's laughter broke through the silence, startling Revan from her thoughts. The Twi'lek girl was sitting on top of one of the many gardens that had recently been planted on Taris, letting her feet dangle over the edge of the building down towards the streets below._

"_I can't believe you actually did it!" She giggled again, throwing her arms out behind her before falling with a soft thump on a bed of flowers. "You rebuilt Taris! And it's so much better now! Big Z and me can go wherever we want!"_

_Revan smiled softly, looking out over the cityscape. Juhani came from behind her to place one hand delicately on her shoulder, her golden eyes shining in gratitude and admiration. "I thank you, Revan," she began in her lilting voice, "If it wasn't for the power of the Star Forge, we never would have been able to rebuild."_

"Isn't this what you want, Revan?" Bastila's voice sounded in her ear, soft and slightly breathless. "The Star Forge will give you the power you crave. Think of what you could accomplish." Revan jerked away in suprise, but Bastila pulled her back, laughing lightly. "You could save them all. You can change what Malak has done. Isn't that what your dream is?"

Revan squinted. Juhani and Mission had frozen in place, not noticing the exchange that was happening in front of them. "You've been watching my dreams?"

Bastila withdrew, a smirk on her perfect features. "You were never good at hiding your emotions, Revan. Not then, not now."

"I don't see what this has to do with anything. Why did you show me this?" Revan countered, even though the tightening in her heart contradicted her words. This was what she had dreamed of ever since Malak had razed the planet. The chance to fix what had been her fault.

"It's a decision, Revan. You can join me, become the greatest Sith Master in the galaxy… and save your friends. After all, if they're really your friends, won't they stay by you?"

Revan didn't answer. Taris blurred and shifted, the tall skyscrapers growing even taller. The sunrise turned to night, and she was on Kashyyyk, amidst the trees and houses of the Wookies. Zaalbar and Jolee faced her with arms crossed.

_Zaalbar began to speak, the harshness of his language dampened beneath the trees. "The last of the invaders have been chased off. They stood no chance against your fleet, Seraya Basaan Revan. I thank you for your help, and even though you are an outsider, we will forever consider you a Wookiee."_

_Revan nodded magnanimously, but her mind was elsewhere. She even forgot to correct Zaalbar on the matter of her name, something she had never failed to do. Her mask was beginning to itch. She reached her hand inside and hooked it, pulling it slowly off. Jolee broke into a grin that seemed more strained then his normal ones. "You did good, kid."_

_She smiled awkwardly, and took a deep breath. "What of those who surrendered? Where are they being kept?"_

_Jolee shook his head, his grin replaced with an unidentifiable expression. "They're being held in Chief Zaalbar's quarters. What exactly are you planning to do?"_

_The sound of her voice chilled her heart to its core. It wasn't her voice, surely… but there was no doubt. It was hers. "I'm going to kill them."_

The trees of Kashyyyk exploded into light, but not fast enough to hide the quietly angry look on Jolee's face. It stayed with her even as the trees melted into the ocean that formed beneath her feet. She turned around quietly, watching as the shadows faded into sunshine.

Bastila appeared next to her. Revan glanced sideways at her. "What is all this for?"

Bastila shrugged. "It shows what life could be like. There are many paths you can take, Revan. I'm offering you a way to make all of this happen."

Revan closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Jolee's approval was something she had always sought, even after she had found out that he had held her true identity from her. Being unworthy of his respect was something she had always feared. But Kashyyyk would be free… and Zaalbaar's home was safe. That alone would have made everything worth the price shown before her.

Her thoughts flitted through her mind, dark, troubled, and indecisive.When she opened her eyes again, Bastila had disappeared. Only the cold, sterile deckplates of Ahto City remained.

"_Revan!"_

_She didn't need to turn around to recognize the voice. Carth Onasi strode up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist. He laughed, the sound of his voice carrying over the whirring of the Ebon Hawk's engines. The Sith fleet hovered overhead._

"_Carth, this isn't the time. I'm busy."_

_Carth smiled. "Can't it wait? You've already won the battle." Revan took a moment to turn in his arms, staring up at him. He looked tired, lines creasing at the corner of his eyes. The attack on Manaan had gone well. The Selkath hadn't even had time to destroy their kolto supply. Revan shook her head._

_Carth raised one hand to run through her hair. She took a moment to look at it. It had lost the shine it had originally had, looking more like red straw then hair. But that was one of the prices of her power. And it had been an easy sacrifice to make._

_She looked again at Carth, handsome in his new Sith uniform. He had been angry at first, unable to believe that the woman he loved could go back to the way she was. But this was different. She wasn't the Revan of the Mandalorian and Jedi Civil Wars… she was older, wiser. And Carth had come around._

"_I'll see you later tonight, then." She said, trying to make it sound more like a request then an order._

_Carth sighed and withdrew. "Alright, beautiful. Have it your way." There was a sadness in his voice that pulled at her heart strings. Most of it had probably come from the news that Dustil had been wounded in the heat of battle._

_Carth's son had become one of Revan's most trusted warriors. The skills he had learned in Korriban had served him well. He had been in the front lines. Regretful, but necessary._

The waves stopped moving, and Carth froze in place.

This time, despite her best effort, tears pricked at her eyes. What… what was all of this? Could she really do all those things with the power of the Star Forge? Would Carth truly follow her down that path?

"Power… and him. Isn't that what you desire, Revan?" Bastila appeared again, and this time Revan didn't start in surprise. She just stared at Carth's immobile face with a leaden look on her own.

She turned to Bastila suddenly. "He would follow me?"

Bastila looked away. "The fool is attached to his precious Republic. He has no idea what the Sith could accomplish if you were to lead them."

Revan looked back, too preoccupied to notice that Bastila hadn't answered her question. But her point was clear. _If Carth followed me… then think of what we could do._

Manaan began to fade away, and Revan found herself wondering what she would be shown next, When the water began to turn into sand, and the sun split into two, she knew she was on Tatooine.

_Canderous stood on top of one of the tall sand dunes, shading his eyes with a large hand. HK-47 stood next to him, gleaming in the bright sunlight. Revan had left her heavy robes behind, instead opting for a far more comfortable combat suit. She trekked up the dune, her lightsaber in her hand._

_Canderous gestured towards the horizon gruffly. "Those Sand People won't be bothering anyone anymore."_

_HK nodded. "Affirmation: It was quite pleasant to hear those robed meatbags squealing in pain."_

_Revan smiled. "You did good work. They were a menace."_

_Canderous looked at her sideways, his hand caressing his heavy repeater. "A menace? A joke." Revan looked away. Canderous sighed and hefted his weapon above his shoulder, turning away. At the last second, he turned back. "I know what happened the first time with the Sand People, Revan. I know they humiliated you. Don't try to hide behind noble intentions."_

_Revan glared at his back as he began to walk back towards Anchorhead. HK positively bristled. "Interjection: Master! I believe that the Mandalorian meatbag is-"_

"_Can it, HK," Revan muttered. "It doesn't matter."_

By the time Bastila appeared, Revan was glaring. "It this supposed to convince me? Watching myself commit acts of petty revenge?"

"I am only showing you what you wish to see." Bastila responded.

"That's a lie." Revan straightened up indignantly.

Bastila remained calm. "Is it? You have no desire for revenge against those who harmed you?"

Revan turned red, but remained silent. She had thought about how she would revenge herself on the Sand People several times, as she lay awake in bed during their journey. They had humiliated her, stripped her of her weapons and clothes like a common criminal. She desired nothing more then to see them pay. Another residue of Revan.

Bastila's soft laugh was more a sign of victory then mirth. She knew Revan's mind almost as well as she herself did. Which wasn't much in itself, but it served its purpose. She was touching on Revan's deepest desires and wants… a chance for redemption, power, glory, revenge. But the outcome didn't matter as much as the means. And the means was floating above her head above the Unknown Planet's surface. The ever-present Star Forge.

The sun faded again, and the red sand of Tatooine began to coalesce into gray stone. Revan swallowed nervously as the towers of the Dreshdae Academy swirled into view. Whatever was next, it couldn't be good. But this didn't have the feel of a vision. There was no clouding in her thought, no surrendering into a part that had already been written for her. This was different.

_Malak sat next to her as she meditated, his height dwarfing hers even as they sat. One moment he was jawless and decked in his Sith finery, the next; dressed in the robes she had seen in her vision of the Star Maps, jaw intact. His voice, one second normal, another metallic and grating, echoed off of the bare walls._

"_Do you wish to kill me, Revan?" he asked, eyes searching hers, turning from brown to gold and back again._

_Revan shuddered. "Yes. I do. You're filthy and evil and the galaxy is better off without you."_

_Malak's smile was cut off partway with the appearance of his metallic jaw. "I could say the same about you, _Master_. Do you wish to kill me?"_

"_I answered your question."_

"_Did you?"_

_Revan frowned. "Don't play games with me, Malak. I'm coming to kill you."_

_If Malak was bothered by her statement, he made no sign. "And take my place?"_

"_Were you always so infuriating?"_

"_Perhaps. Perhaps not."_

_Revan glared and fell silent. Malak's chest rose up and down with the weight of his breath, the focus crystal floating in front of him changing from blue to red faster then she could blink. After another moment of silence, she spoke._

"_Why did you follow me?"_

_Malak seemed to consider the question. "Power. And the strength that came with it. And maybe something else." He glanced at her, and something- perhaps sorrow, perhaps pain- reached his eyes._

"_Would you do it again?"_

_Malak didn't answer._

The vision ended abruptly, and Revan found herself facing Bastila once again.

"What was that?" Revan breathed. "That couldn't have been the future."

"It was but a vision," Bastila waved her hand airily. "It had no real importance unless you place meaning upon it."

"But… it was Malak. I saw him."

Bastila's eyes darkened. "Yes. Malak has appeared in my dreams as well. And my nightmares."

"Why do you want me to lead the Sith, Bastila?"

Bastila fell silent for a long time. When she finally answered, in was in the purposeful tone she had used when Revan had first met her, long ago on Taris.

"Because you are the most powerful Jedi since Exar Kun. You will defeat Malak. Of that I am certain. And once you win… we will get our revenge. On everyone."

Memories flashed through Revan's head. She wasn't certain if they were all her own. She saw herself, lying suspended in a kolto tank as Jedi and medics rushed around her. She saw a young girl hugging her father one last time before she was gently pulled away towards a waiting transport. More and more visions flashed by, until she could no longer tell one from the other. Words blended together, until there was nothing left but an unidentifiable buzz.

Bastila's voice rose above the din. "Isn't that what you really want? The Jedi Council has turned you into their puppet, their slave." It was a repeat of what Malak had said on the Leviathan.

Revan frowned. "I don't want that. I never did."

"You can't lie to me, Revan. I felt your emotions, even when Malak was torturing me. You are angry."

"What if I am?"

"Don't you want revenge? They captured you, wiped your memory… turned you into Seraya Basaan. An ordinary girl. If they had had their way, you would have never felt the Force again."

Revan shuddered. The thought of life without the Force was… painful. And Bastila's words rang true.

She wanted it. More then anything else she had ever known, she wanted to accept Bastila's offer. It was tempting… all the visions painted a picture of what could happen. She could right all the wrongs that had been done by Malak… and her. The cost of fixing things was something she was willing to ignore.

All the pain inside of her had escalated after the Leviathan, and at this point she was willing to ignore any of the dark possibilities. She could use the power of the Star Forge to destroy Malak… and then… she could repair all the horrible things that she had seen and done.

All the scenery faded away, and Revan knew that when her surroundings settled again, she would be back on the Unknown Planet. The time to choose had come, and Bastila had made her case. The only thing she had to do was decide.

She thought of Jolee and Juhani, still standing on the temple. Would they follow her? She didn't know. _If they didn't… could I bring myself to kill them for the greater good? Could I end the lives of my friends so that others can live?_ The ground settled beneath her, and she knew that it was time.

She opened her eyes for the last time. Bastila stood in front of her, face triumphant. The sun was setting on the Rakatan temple, and she was framed in golden light. Jolee and Juhani watched both of them warily, their lightsabers drawn.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. For the life of her, she couldn't tell who she was speaking too. She drew her lightsaber.

She knew what she wanted. And she had made her decision.

* * *

Author's Note: This story was influenced by the fabulous short story _The Lady Or The Tiger_ by Frank Stockton. I was interested in leaving a story open ended. I hope that both possibilities turned out alright! This was written for the DCC 17: Desire. Enjoy! 


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